I want to be a part of it....

New York, New York.  My husband surprised me with a weekend trip to NYC to celebrate my 40th birthday.  He told me the night before we left.  I have never been so stunned or humbled that someone would do something like this for me.  We were there the 1st weekend of November and I think it may have been the best weekend of my life.  I love him so.

Josh won tickets to see David Letterman.  So fun.  The guest was Bill Cosby.

Rockefeller Center, just outside of our hotel

I finally got to see the Statue of Liberty.  A life-long dream.

Got to see my first Broadway Show, another dream of mine.  Loved it.

This was the view when we walked out of Macy's.  We then headed to Mesa Grill for dinner, Bobby Flay's restaurant.  

I loved every second of this trip and I love my man so much that he did this for me.  For me.  It still blows my mind.  I think about it every day.  We did so much more that is not pictured, but I wanted to keep this post smallish.  It has been so long since I have blogged at all.  Thanks for sharing.

Mother's Day 2011

We had a wonderful Mother's Day, definitely blog worthy. It started with my husband and kids making breakfast for me. Eggs, biscuits, and fruit. Delicious! Then church, which had a spectacular tribute to Mothers with the "Mommy Rhapsody", and a very calm class with my special needs kids. They were a delight, all excited about the upcoming Joy Prom this Friday. After church, a quick bite from Jimmy John's and a trip to the Durham Museum of Life and Science. The pictures here were taken in their Butterfly House. It was a great day for walking around the outside zoo/park like setting of the museum, low 70's and mostly sunny. The museum closed at 5:00, so we left and had a light dinner, then topped it off with DQ - a Reese's blizzard for me. Yum. Back home to a happy dog and a phone call to my sister, which I hate that I only get to see her a couple times a year. Started a new book (after finally finishing Jane Eyre), and right to sleep. A great family day. Perfect. I feel very blessed to be a Mom. Hope your Mother's Day was just as great!

last summer's ruffled halter

Last summer I made this adorable ruffled halter for my daughter and never got around to blogging about it. It was a free downloadable pattern from Oliver & S that was featured in Stitch magazine's summer issue I believe, and was the main reason I purchased the magazine. I used fabric from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane line which debuted last spring. (love it!) I love how the halter turned out and it was pretty simple and quick to make too, a bonus. I can definitely see more of these halters in her future this summer!

**I snapped this picture with my phone while we were waiting for a table at a delicious restaurant (Mango Mango's) in St. Augustine, FL. You can see she brought all of her essentials to the restaurant: purse, blankie, and sass.

**Oh, and one more thing. I got this fabric at a steal for $5/yard and didn't even use an entire yard for this halter, so this cost me less than 5 bucks! See the value in learning to sew?!!

**Oh, and if you ever go to Mango Mango's, definitely order the corn cakes.

more on Savannah

So last week we drove to Savannah Thursday afternoon and spent the evening and all day Friday before returning home late Friday night. Josh was there for a conference that was held Friday and so I was left to entertain the kids. First I will say that Savannah does not offer much for kids at this time of year. However, it is full of candy and open parks, so that sufficed. I thought I would take them on the trolley, but they weren't thrilled with the idea so why do that when it is so expensive anyway. We did a lot of walking, looking at monuments, and there was one particular park we played in for a good portion of the day.

We ate lunch at The Lady & Son's of Paula Deen fame. I must say that it was quite good, but at the same time I was disappointed and this is why. Last time we were in Savannah it was 2001. This was before Paula Deen was on the Food Network. We went to the restaurant then and I remember it being SO good. Well, now they have changed locations and it all seemed so automated, and the experience was just not the same 'taking the elevator to dine on the third floor' as it was in her original smaller restaurant. I enjoyed the food I will say, although I am sure it was better 10 years ago.

As the day went on the wind picked up. We spent a lot of time down on River Street, which is literally right on the river. As it neared 5:30 and it was getting colder and colder (remember I thought the high was going to be sunny and 70's and dressed accordingly) we began to stop into more and more shops to get out of the wind. One of these was Savannah Bee Company. Oh my goodness, what a delight and a great find. They had a kids corner for the kids to play in so I was able to shop around a bit. I loved everything and ended up buying hand and nail salve, soap, and 4 different kinds of honey. I never really thought about there being different flavors of honey before, but wow, I tried several at their honey tasting bar and I must say that it was hard to narrow it down to 4 flavors. They also had this cookbook, by Gena Knox, which has some recipes that feature their honey, and such beautiful photography. I just ordered it today and I am so excited to get it in a few days.

Yesterday was a sad day as we finished our caramel and pecan popcorn, but I still have 1/2 of a praline left which I intend on eating this afternoon! Hopefully I'll be back soon with some actual sewing stuff. The picture of the kids was taken on Friday on some (very steep) steps that take you down from the main street level to River Street.

Changing goals

Hey there. Yeah, I know it's been a while. I've been watching all of you keep up your blogs with your fabulous ideas and projects and have been staring at the same Santa pictures on my blog knowing that no one is probably even looking anymore. We've been under a LOT of stress here, but I am hopeful that things are going to get better soon. I've been very, very busy. We participated in a kids consignment sale mid January in which we had to rent a U-Haul to take all of our stuff over to the sale location. That means that we had a ton of stuff pulled out from everywhere and a whole U-haul's worth of stuff to be tagged and recorded. It was at that point we learned some unfortunate news and have been completely stressed out ever since. So our house was left in a state of disarray from all of the stuff we had pulled out and had piled up everywhere. Awesome. Then I went to St. Augustine, FL for a few days at the beginning of February to visit my parents who were there for Jan and Feb this winter. It was a nice change of scenery. We also just visited Savannah, GA this past weekend so that was nice also. Would have been nicer if I had brought a jacket. So, between all of this and the basketball, karate, inline hockey, ballet, tap, and cheerleading, plus homeschooling; I have been kind of busy with not much time to sew. I have however been working on a quilt for my son who will turn 10 this month. I had hoped to get it completely finished to give to him on his birthday but I have had to change my goal to hoping that I get the top finished to give to him. Sometimes we have to change our goals, and that is ok. I am hoping to have some more things to share soon. I will try to post about the quilt and maybe some things from last year that I never got around to posting! Sorry for such a melancholy post, such is life sometimes, but things are gonna get better!

The above picture of the kids was taken in Savannah this past Friday. I was so inspired by this old stone wall next to the cobblestone street. Savannah is such an interesting city. Maybe I will post more about our trip later. On a side note, the dress Nora Kate is wearing is one I made for her November 2009. You may have seen it before. I love that she can still wear it paired with leggings even though it is a little short to wear as a dress now. Pattern was my own.

The other picture was taken in downtown historic St. Augustine, FL. If you are familiar with the area, you may recognize the old Fort which you can see in the background of the photo. This was one of the many street performers, one of the things I love about that city. This guy's name was Jamey Turner, and he called his instrument the 'glass harp'. He was amazing.

visiting Santa

My husband's workplace always has Santa night every Christmas and all the kids of the employees can come and visit Santa. It is always the same man, and he is so sweet to the kids. One year we stayed a little later in my husband's office and when we went out to leave he was in his truck right next to our van getting ready to leave. He had obviously forgotten his sleigh that night or else he was just preparing it for the big trip and had to use his truck that night. Anyway, when he saw us coming, he laid down in the front seat of his truck so that the kids couldn't see him and stayed that way until we left. So sweet. It was funny because my son's list this year was 6 pages long. He shortened it before going to see Santa by going through it and highlighting the things that he *really* wanted. He had things on there like "my very own cruise ship", "my very own mansion", "a water slide running through our house and out into the back yard", "bringing Abby back to life" (our little Westie dog that died almost 2 years ago), "bringing Grandpa Gene back to life". It was very sweet but a little self indulgent at the same time. Gotta love him. My daughter for the first time wrote out some of her list. She is able to make all of her letters this year and wrote out 4 items in addition to pictures she cut out of magazine ads and pasted on to paper. So cute. So, here are pictures from this year...

**Oh, and I did not make her dress. It is from Patsy Aiken Chez Ami, a direct sales kids clothing company based here in Raleigh. They have their factory here and have an outlet sale for one week every month with great deals on their clothes. A perk of living here!

The Christmas Dress 2010

Ok, I finished this dress on Tuesday and made the headband on Wednesday while the kids were at their PE/Art class (we're homeschooling now - more to come on that later). I'm very happy with how it turned out if I do say so myself. Fabrics used for the dress were all from Anna Maria Horner. The dress fabrics were from her new collection, Innocent Crush; and the sash was made from some of her first line of luxurious voiles, Little Folks collection. Can you tell I'm a fan of hers?! The pattern used was one that I have created myself. I've posted several variations of it in the past here, here, and here. New features of the pattern used on this dress were the 3/4 length sleeve (embellished with lace), and of course, the sash. I used a tutorial that I just happened to come across online to make the headband, and I can't remember where it was, but basically you just wrap fabric around a pipe cleaner and twist it to your desired size, then sew to a flower cut from felt and attach to your headband. If I can find the tutorial again, I will edit to give credit to that person. Hope you like. I'm thinking of listing it in my shop for a limited time! ***Rosette Headband Tutorial by Sew Hip Mama

Above All Fabric Wish List

Ah. Create a wish list from an online fabric store for a chance to win $100 to shop at said fabric store? Why, yes. I'll play! Actually, I've mentioned Melanie before from Above All Fabric. She is top notch when it comes to customer service, she runs great sales, and I get a ton of my fabric from her. I think the greatest thing about Melanie is that she makes you feel like you are very special to her, and we all know that life is about the relationships you make with people. Not only does she help me supply my fabric addiction, but she has chatted with me through email or on twitter about personal things like my decision to homeschool my kids, holiday plans, and many other things. She even knows my favorite fabric designer! Anyway, without further ado.... here is my Above All Fabric wish list:

1. Anything from Anna Maria Horner, but I especially love her new voiles and velveteens, which Melanie is stocking in her store just for me!:) Also, I would love any or all of her new patterns.

2. Anything in any form of Tula Pink's new line, Parisville. Oh be still my beating heart. Have you seen this?

And that's it. No big shock, right?!! Of course there are tons of other things I would love to have from the shop, but these are the tops on my list right now! Now, go make your wish list too so that you can have a chance to win! Instructions for contest are here.

**Edited to add to my wish list....

-this, the schoolhouse tunic, a pattern I have wanted forever to make for myself. I have seen others that have made this and it looks so cute on!

-and this, the hoot-n-nanny tote, a pattern I have adored ever since Trish (of Two Peas in a Pod Designs) first posted a picture of it on her blog. I was so excited when I saw that she was going to make it into a pattern! I love it! The cuteness can't be described. You must see it!

pink fig holiday giveaway

Head over to Chelsea's blog at Pink Fig and enter her fabulous Holiday giveaway! She's giving away 2 quilts made from her beautiful new fabric line, Miss Modd! Can you believe that?! She has all the details over at her blog. You can enter the giveaway from now through December 1!

the notting hill hobo by Bari J

Towards the end of summer, Bari J Ackerman asked me to test this pattern for her and send her the sample so that she could use it in her booth at Quilt Market. I quickly said yes, as I was so excited and flattered on top of that. I have been following Bari since I found her blog a couple of years ago and she was about to debut her first fabric line for Windham, Full Bloom. She has been a constant source of inspiration to me since that time, and she has been so willing to reach out with encouragement. This was my second bag to test for her. I'll have to blog that first one. I still haven't done that. Actually Bari gave me a choice of patterns this time, and I chose the notting hill hobo. The funny thing is that I consider myself to be an awful bag maker. I get so confused with lining and the fusible fleece and interfacing and magnetic snaps.... But I really liked the style of the bag and I wanted to challenge myself. So, after a couple of times of ripping the bag apart and some help from a friend, (thanks Carrie!), I finished it and off it went to live my dream, a trip to Quilt Market! I am thankful that Bari asked me to do it, and also that she was patient with me as I literally got it to her at the last minute. The pattern is great and actually very easy. (I think I just got caught up in the whole 'I think bags are hard' thing.) There are a couple of different options and sizes so you can personalize it to your style. Mine is the large, patchwork version and I used her special technique (which is outlined in the pattern) to applique the flower and butterfly to the front of the bag. Fabrics used were from Bari's newest line, Country Lane.

costume juggling

I thought I'd better get this picture up before the end of the week! Up until a couple of days before Halloween, the kids were planning to dress up as Snow White or Ariel and Ulysses S. Grant. (Yeah, Samuel had to do a report on U.S. Grant last year for school in which he had to dress up for the presentation, and so we had bought him a U.S. Grant costume in the spring. We worked hard to convince him that this would be a very cool trick or treat costume, and I thought I had pulled over one of the best scams of the year when he told me that he indeed wanted to dress as U.S. Grant for Halloween, but alas, the mass produced, Target skeleton costume won out in the end. And since we had to go buy him the skeleton costume at Target, and the little princess was along, we also had to purchase a new costume for her to wear. The good thing was that since it was so last minute, the costumes were all 40% off.) So, I give you, the scary Skeleton, and Barbie Thumbelina. And no, I have never sewn Halloween costumes. I just don't have it in me. Truthfully, Halloween is just a 'holiday' (and I use that term loosely) that I barely tolerate.

Pumpkin Carving Party at Country Lane

This past week I made a dress for my daughter out of Bari J's newest line, Country Lane. She got the chance to wear it yesterday to church and then to a pumpkin carving party at our friends' house. It was the perfect choice for a beautiful fall day if you ask me....

favorite. project. ever.

This has to be my most favorite project I've ever done. It's from Anna Maria Horner's latest book, Handmade Beginnings. First of all, I LOVE this book. It has so many great projects in it, and I have neither a baby nor am I expecting one, so don't be fooled by the title. It's truly for anyone. When I saw this project, I knew I HAD to do it! I knew my little girl would love it, and she does. The pattern is for the quilt, the baby, and diapers to fit the baby. I must say that I loved making the diapers. I loved doing the hand stitching for the baby's face and hair. But most of all I loved making the quilt. The 4 blocks were foundation pieced, a technique I had not tried before, but found to be very easy and satisfying. I love color and it was so fun to put so much color into each block. All fabric I used was from Anna Maria's collections. I even mixed in some voiles with the cotton, and a tiny bit of her home decor. Do I even have to say how much I love her fabric? Just got in some of her newest line, Innocent Crush. Sigh. Can't wait to get started sewing with it.

Wow. I know, it's been a long time. I've been out of the loop for quite a while. I have a good excuse, though. We started homeschooling our kids this year. It was a very difficult decision that we put off until the last minute, but we are in week 9 now and although we have hard days (just like with anything else), it is going really well. More on that later though. I just wanted to peek my head up out of my 'cave' and let you know that I am still out here and slowly but surely, I am carving out little bits of time in my new schedule to sew.

What I am sharing today is the Madison Bag, a pattern I tested for Trish Preston. It's a great bag and I love how it turned out. Trish is actually about to debut her first line of patterns, which includes the Madison Bag, at the upcoming quilt market in Houston, last weekend of October. She has a sneak peak of them here, on her blog. I must say that ALL 14 of them look fantastic. I'm really impressed with how professional they look and the photography for the covers is amazing and makes you want to buy all of them! I'm so glad I had the honor to test 2 of them for her. Please, go check them out!

patsy ann apron top

Yes. I am still alive. Wow, time has been flying by and I have been so busy. Did May and June even really exist? It all happened so fast. Now, we are at the end of July and I am still extremely busy, but have gotten really sick, so I have been forced to slow down, thus the blog post.

This is one of the patterns I tested back in April. It turned out really cute. The pattern is the Patsy Ann Apron Top by Trish Preston. You can read her blog here. Trish is a really sweet, talented woman who will be debuting her new pattern line in her very own booth at quilt market this fall in Houston! So exciting! I know great things await her!

my thoughts on the pattern:

First off, it's totally adorable! I love how it turned out. And it's practical too! I actually made a mistake on the length of the fabric when I cut it and instead of re-doing it, I just decided to go with the length I had. It should be a few inched longer, but I actually like how it turned out. The straps go over the shoulders and cross in the back and then tie, as you can see in the first picture. This could totally dress up an outfit and give your little diva's jeans and tee a new look. Love it! You can order the pattern here, in Trish's etsy shop.

guest posting

Hey! I'm a guest blogger for Melissa over at the Polkadot Chair today! Go check it out!

Lily's birthday present

This is a quick outfit I whipped up for my daughter's friend Lily. It was her 5th birthday party and her Mom is always so sweet to comment on how cute the clothes are that I make for Nora Kate, so I really wanted to do this for her. And of course, Lily is just a doll! The shirt was purchased from Target and I appliqued a flower from the fabric. Quick. Easy. Great gift.

This skirt was so easy and fast because of the fabric design. Using Patty Young's double border daisy design from her latest line of fabric, flora & fauna, this skirt was a breeze. I literally just cut a main panel from each edge of the fabric, showing the daisy border, sewed them together on the sides, hemmed the bottom & gathered the top. I then cut 2 ~5" x 19" strips from the middle of the piece of fabric (light green dots), sewed together on the sides, attached to the main skirt at the gather, turned in to make waist band, added elastic waist & tag, & voila. easy, cute, skirt. I think the double border daisy design comes in 4 colorways. You can buy them here from Melanie at Above All Fabrics, one of my favorite places to buy!

Another use of the daisy border design was in a quilt pattern I tested for Patty Young back in December. I blogged about it here. I used a solid piece of the daisy border design in the mustard colorway for the background of the quilt as her pattern directed. It was a great way to have a quilt background with a lot of interest, but was so easy because it was not pieced. Great fabric, and great pattern, especially for beginning quilters.

Easter 2010

Easter Sunday was great. A day to reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the glorious gift of the Resurrection! We celebrated by going to church, then coming home for a quiet family lunch, just the 4 of us. Later we went to a neighbor's house for a cookout. It was a nice day.

This year, for the first time, I made Nora Kate's Easter dress! It was truly a labor of love. I enjoyed every minute of picking out the fabrics, adjusting my pattern to fit what I had in mind, sewing it together, etc... I made this pattern back in the fall, drew it out on paper, cut it out, the whole 9 yards... I made a dress with it that she wore for our family pictures that we had done in November, then I used it to make a 'princess dress' for her for Christmas. I have to say that I LOVE this pattern. It is very simple, and there are so many variations that can be done. I also want to use it to make a top. Would like to 'go' somewhere with this pattern, hopefully in the future....?!!

I used Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane fabric for the dress, all except for the line of pink polka dot on the front which was a remnant of another fabric I had. I also made her hair clip, my first (and oh so fun!)

The only thing I was disappointed about was that I had originally planned to make my son a coordinating tie out of the stripe, but didn't get to it. As it was I just finished the dress on Saturday night. He had told me that he didn't want to wear a tie and wouldn't wear it to church, but would wear it for pictures. So, I knew it was going to be a battle that I didn't want to fight anyway. I may still make it and take him up on the picture thing....

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Oh, and if you want to win some of this beautiful Nicey Jane fabric of your own, go enter Ruth's Sew Love Fabrics giveaway on her blog! She's giving away a cool Heather Bailey pattern with fabrics to make it!